Category Archives: Home & Garden

April 7, 2013 · 6:41 pm

Restoration Of A Vintage Little School Desk–A Labor of Love!!!

My father was a great man and he had a very successful career as an Engineer. With his own business he designed and built churches, schools, industrial buildings, custom homes and much more. More than once he brought home some school desks (quite a few) of various sizes. They were mostly in pristine condition and having several I had my own classroom for my dolls and bears in my playroom.

The desks got shuffled between our lake house and our full-time home. I know at one point when I had the first of my kids I had one brought up here but it remained in the basement of the lake house. Several years ago I bought paint and had every intention of freshening it up but it never happened. 2 more kids happened and at some point it must have become damp or wet and rust happened.

However, I was steadfast in my determination and added it to my great list of projects. Friday afternoon I unearthed it from my garage. Yikes! It was sad, and in very rough condition but I had a vision. My husband also gave me some tools to achieve my vision. First I went over the whole thing with a wire brush and next my husband gave me a very powerful drill with a circular metal bristle whosiawatzit that just like magic buffed and grinded that rust away and left me with bare metal to work with.

After rust removal and primer.

First coat of paint and sanding in progress.

We added some wood glue where there was a little bit of separation in some of the wood layers and yes, we are being funny with all the clamps.

Started drizzling (never amounted to anything) while I was staining and so I had to move to the garage.

After it was cleaned up, I applied a primer. Let that dry, that was Friday night. Saturday which was a busy day because it was Ethan’s birthday, I applied a coat of high gloss gray Rustoleum paint. Then today, Sunday, I sanded the seat and backrest. I taped and applied a second coat of paint, then stained the seat and backrest and applied a coat of polyurethane.

The completed project only took a few hours in total between late Friday afternoon and late Sunday afternoon. The poly is drying and I will bring it inside in about an hour to get some nicer pictures. I am really proud to have this memory of mine in my house, to be used by my little ones. It truly was a labor of love and it was amazing to breathe some new life into a tired, sad, little desk.

This is the first of many projects I have planned. So stay tuned for lots of transformations of all kinds. Okay, off to add some felt feet and bring this baby inside. I will update with a picture soon of the finished project.

7 Comments

Filed under Crafts, Decorating, DIY, hobby, Home & Garden

Tagged as Antiques, Crafts, DIY, Hobby, Painting, refinishing, restoration, sanding, school desk

March 29, 2013 · 10:23 pm

String Eggs; A Fun Easter Craft!!!

Sting eggs are an easy and fun craft project you can make to decorate for Easter and other occasions. To get started, you will need balloons, white glue and crochet thread. The small water balloon type balloons work best because you can easily inflate them to look like eggs.

Make a glue mixture with white glue and water. Use 2 parts glue and 1 part water, this is messy, so be sure to cover your work surface. Next, cut the thread and dip it in the glue and start wrapping it around the balloon.

You can use a lot of string to wrap or use less, it is a personal choice as to which look you like. When you have have finished wrapping the entire balloon, you can hand them or prop them up to dry. When they are fully dry and stiff to the touch, hold the end of the balloon and pop it with a pin.

Don’t be scared, I made a lot of these, and very few popped with a loud pop because of all the glue they are coated with. Instead, they release the air slowly making sounds similar to the snap, crackle and pop you hear when you add milk to Rice Krispies cereal. Once the balloon is completely deflated you can easily pull it out through an opening in the string.

Place your string eggs in a bowl, put them on a ribbon to make a festive garland, use them to make a wreath, you can even add pretty little string lights, there are so many options, so have fun!

Let me know if you tried this fun project. I would like to hear about your results and how you used them to decorate. Happy Easter!!!

1 Comment

Filed under Crafts, Easter, Home & Garden, kids

Tagged as Craft, decorating, Easter, Kids' Crafts, String Eggs

May 29, 2012 · 1:20 am

Blast Zone, Ultra Croc Inflatable Water Park Review!!! Exclusive Discount Codes!!!

You may remember our review of the Blast Zone Hang Ten we did a few months ago. We love that inflatable so when we had the chance to review the huge Ultra Croc Inflatable Water Park we were ecstatic. It arrived quickly and was very easy to unpack and set up. All we had to do was unroll the inflatable and then hook the blower up, plug the blower in and voila, we were up and ready to attach the water hoses and sprayers. It was pretty easy for my husband to attach them and they have multiple velcro fasteners to hold the hose and sprayer heads on securely. We were also able to just leave them attached and deflate and inflate time and again. We have used in multiple times in the few days we have had it. I like that the hose tubing is clear so you can see that it is clean and if there was ever an obstruction.

This inflatable has three separate pools, 3 slides, a climbing wall and that all equals a tremendous amount of fun on a hot day. My three-year old climbs the wall no problem and there are lots of safety handles for him to use. They have a blast with this inflatable and we have to literally drag them out when the sun starts going down and they start shivering. Even then they don’t want to get out. We never hear that they are tired of it or don’t want to go in. We simply set it up and start the water in the morning and they are in for the majority of the day.

The quality is great, and we are so glad it has so many commercial features because it is going to hold up very well to the tremendous amount of use it is going to receive. If you are looking for something super fun to keep the kids active and cool this summer, check out the Blast Zone Ultra Croc Inflatable Water Park or any one of their other great inflatables. A big thank you to Blast Zone for this incredibly generous and fun review!!!

Blast Zone is offering three exclusive discount codes to Mommy Rambling’s Readers for use on BlastZone.com.

Save 5% Off Your Entire Order, Receive Free Shipping and Pay No Sales Tax

Code: SAVE5

Save 10% Off Orders over $2,000, Receive Free Shipping and Pay No Sales Tax

Code: 2K10

Save 15% off Orders over $5,000, Receive Free Shipping and Pay No Sales Tax

Code: 5K15

The Ultra Croc 13-in-1 Inflatable Water Park takes the Rockin Croc to a new level of Splashing, Sliding, Crawling, Climbing fun! This enormous Water Park Offers fun for kids of all ages. The inflatable beast includes 3 commercial vinyl Slides, 3 commercial vinyl Splash Pools, 2 commercial vinyl Spray Tunnels, and a commercial vinyl Climbing wall!

Adventurers scale this monster inflatable by climbing the back ramp, complete with safety handles, foot holes and a safety platform. From the top, kids choose any of 3 raging water slides to race down: The 8-foot-long Snout-Slide, The 9.5-foot-long leg-slide, or the 17-foot-long Tail Slide (w/pool).

The most daring explorers will have a blast crawling underneath the Ultra Croc’s Belly, through either of the 2 spray tunnels. Each tunnel is soaked by an overhead sprayer assembly (included), which rains down like a car wash! Parents: There is no longer any need to fight your kids to bathe: The Croc-Wash will clean them for you!

For those who want to chill-out in the 2 Croc Lagoons, these 2 mini swamps are approximately 50 (left) and 75 (right) square feet of maximal chill-zone! Inflates in under 2 minutes. Keeps kids splashing for hours!

Features:

3 Commercial Vinyl Slides
3 Commercial Vinyl Splash Pools
2 Commercial Vinyl Spray Tunnels4 Water Sprayers
Commercial Vinyl Climbing Wall
Included Fan with GFCI
Carrying Case

Dimensions and Capacity:

Total Footprint: 21′ Deep x 21′ Wide x 8.25′ High
Length of tail slide from top of slide to bottom of slide: 8′
Length of tail slide from top of slide to end of tail pool: 17.5′
Length of Nose Slide From top of Slide to bottom of slide: 8′
Height of slides: Approx 5′
Length of foot slide: 9.5′
General measurements of 2 splash pools: Left :9′ x 8.25; Right 9′ x 5.25′
Diameter of tunnels: 28″
4 in Splash Pools
1 Per Slide
1 on Climbing Wall
100 Lbs Per user

About The Blast Zone “Ultra” Line

The Blast Zone line of Ultra inflatables takes our most popular Home-Use inflatables to the Next level. Each Blast Zone Ultra Inflatable is based on inflatables that have proven themselves with years of fun, safety, durability and quality. We have taken these inflatables and made them BIGGER and BETTER, adding additional features, designs, reinforcement and more commercial grade materials.

What do I get?

Each Blast Zone inflatable includes the inflatable unit, a UL approved blower a carrying case, stakes for the blower and stakes for the bouncer. The inflatable unit rolls up to about the size of a medium to large sleeping bag (depending on bouncer). Most of our inflatable toys ship via UPS in one box that includes everything. To set up the bouncer, just unroll it, hook the inflation tube to the blower, turn on the blower and stake it down. The blower runs continuously while kids play, and air escapes through the seams and fabric.

2 Comments

Filed under Blast Zone, Home & Garden, Outdoor Fun, Review, Summer, Toys

Tagged as Blast Zone, Discount Codes, Inflatable, Mommy Ramblings, review, Sale, Ultra Croc, Ultra Croc Inflatable Water Park, Water Park, Water Slides

May 10, 2012 · 12:04 am

Naturepedic, Organic, Waterproof Mattress Protector Pad Review

It’s really important to me that my children have the best quality mattresses that we can get them because they spend so much time +sleeping and I want them on a safe, healthy mattress with good support. With little ones though, there are lots of little accidents that can happen and you want to protect that expensive mattress so it will stay fresh and clean for a long time.

Sometimes though, we buy mattresses made with organic fibers and then we don’t put much thought into a mattress cover to protect them. That really defeats the purpose of getting that healthy mattress if we go and cover it with a mattress cover that is made of harmful, toxic materials.

I would highly suggest to first look at the Best Mattress Toppers Reviews – Complete Buying Guide to get a better ideal on all the different types of pads available.

I recently had a chance to review a Naturepedic Waterproof, Organic Protector Pad for my preschooler’s full size bed. This pad is made in the USA, has NO Vinyl/PVC, NO Phthalates, NO Latex (for allergy concerns) and is GREENGUARD® Certified. There are waterproof and non-waterproof versions available in sizes bassinet through Queen size in the waterproof and crib size to full size int the non-waterproof. Both the waterproof and non-waterproof pads feature two layers of organic cotton flannel – top and bottom.

The Ultra-Thin Waterproof Barrier In Center – Waterproof Version Only features DrySleep™ technology, which effectively blocks liquids from passing through while still allowing the fabric to “breathe.” Some water vapor is allowed to escape resulting in less “sweaty backs” and a drier, more comfortable sleep. Provides a soft, non-sweaty and comfortable waterproof barrier (as compared to vinyl and rubber) and also blocks dust-mites and other allergens. Both versions are easy care machine washable and dryable.

I know, I sleep better knowing that my child is sleeping on a safe breathable, organic mattress pad that even has protection for little accidents that may occur when we least expect them.

Naturepedic is sponsoring a giveaway on Mommy Ramblings and one lucky blog reader will win a Naturepedic organic, waterproof mattress pad in their choice of size from bassinet to full size. Thank you Naturepedic for the review mattress pad and for sponsoring this great giveaway on Mommy Ramblings!!! Open to US residents.

Naturepedic, Organic, Waterproof Mattress Protector Pad Giveaway on Mommy Ramblings Rules:

Please enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter below. Good Luck!!!

Continue reading →

30 Comments

Filed under Home & Garden

Tagged as giveaway, Mommy Ramblings, Naturepedic, organic, review, Waterproof Mattress Protector Pad

February 22, 2012 · 9:16 pm

Blast Zone, Hang 10 Wet/Dry Bounce Slide Combo Inflatable Review!!! Bonus 25% Off Discount Code!!!

One of the things my kids love about their mom being a review blogger, is that I get some pretty cool stuff to review. We recently had the opportunity to choose a Blast Zone Inflatable to review. We ended up choosing the Hang 10, which is a large inflatable with a bounce section and a huge slide that can be used wet or dry, for fun year round. We have been having such a mild winter here in NY State. We have not had snow and sledding parties needed to be cancelled. So we had planned to do the review on a mild day and during the night we had a brief dusting of snow. We however went ahead with our plans, and just so you know, it was very mild even though there is some snow on the grass. The inflatable comes with everything you need, the blower, the stakes (please note that since we were doing just a review and the ground was hard we did not put the stakes in as we would do if we were planning on using the unit for a party or for the kids to play in for a long time. You may also want to use sand bags to make it super secure, especially if there is any wind. It also includes the hosing and sprayer attachments to make it a wet slide in the warmer weather and a large storage bag is also included. You take the inflatable out and unfold it and then just hook the blower up and in minutes the unit is inflated and ready to be staked down. This inflatable is very attractive with its bright, bold colors and cute little palm tree accents. The bounce portion has a handle and foot holes so that a child can boost up to the slide for a fun ride out of the bounce house.

There is an entrance ramp to the bounce house and it is completely enclosed for safety. The bottom of the slide forms a bit of a pit that is great for a water pool when using it in the summer and you can also fill it with those small colored balls to add even more fun during other times. The bouncer is very well constructed, made with quality materials and is very impressive. My kids just loved this inflatable and burned off lots of energy. It is so easy to set up and take down that you can really use it anytime quickly and easily. If you are looking for something that will provide hours of fun, exercise and giggles you need to check out Blast Zone Inflatables. They have such a great selection of products!

Discount Code:

The coupon code to receive 25% off is FNF25 and must be used on bouncersdirect.com.